ANOTHER "MIRACLE" FRUIT WITH FABULOUS CLAIMS!

Weight watching and cholesterol reduction are two of the most discussed health issues world over and the multi billion dollar food supplement industry strives on them. While Statin drugs have created a gigantic industry offering hope for millions of people suffering from hypercholestremic symptoms, there are hundreds of other edible food supplements not going through the medicinal route claiming super performance for improving health. One such supplement, if one may call it so, has hit the headline recently with a claim that it is a "bullet' for weight reduction and no one is really sure whether it is really effective at all. African mango, also commonly known as bush mango is spawning a new line of products which is claimed to reduce weight as well as cholesterol dramatically. Here is a report on its emergence as a miracle fruit for those afflicted by obesity and high blood cholesterol levels.

"A short search for African mango tablets reveals hundreds of sales sites in the U.S. and beyond brashly extolling the virtues of the supplement, which costs around $40 per bottle. But is there any truth behind its miraculous claims? Two studies by Judith L Ngondi and colleagues at the University of Yaounde in Cameroon, published in the Journal of Lipids in Health, support the hype, their data apparently showing the seeds to cause significant weight loss and improve blood flat levels. In a 2005 study, the team studied 28 volunteers, comparing weight loss over four weeks between a group who were given a placebo and a group who were given African mango supplements. Taken before meals, three times a day, the study reported that those who took the African mango supplement lost 5.3% of their body weight, while the control group only lost 1.3%. According to Dr IV van Heerden at Health24.com: 'Considerable reductions in total blood cholesterol (39.2 per cent), triglycerides (44.9 per cent) and "bad" LDL cholesterol (45.6 per cent), were obtained in the treatment group. At the same time, "good" HDL cholesterol levels in the group receiving African mango, increased by 46.9 per cent.' A repeated experiment in 2009 used a more highly developed extract from the African mango seed, IGOB131, and studied its effects on 102 individuals over 10 weeks. Dr can Heerden said: 'The treatment group lost more weight, had improved blood fat and glucose values, lower blood pressure, and other markers of the metabolic syndrome (e.g. lower leptin levels)."

Though there is much hype about this fruit, still there does not appear to be adequate evidence either on its efficacy or safety. Of course as a traditional food supplement consumed by folks in Cameroon there can be some leeway in assessing its safety. But it is necessary that large scale clinical trials are carried out to confirm its credentials as an anti-obesity food supplement. Scientific assessment should also bring out, if it is really effective as claimed, regarding the mechanism of its functioning in the body. "Scavenging" the cholesterol from the body is a property associated with almost all dietary fibers and in what way the fiber from this fruit functions differently needs to be elucidated. Also not clear is the role of many other components in the fruit in bringing out the beneficial functions, if at all there is any.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"MIRACLE FRUIT"- WHAT IS IT?

Sweetness is a taste that has captured the imagination of consumers world over and white sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup has literally made the consumers compulsive eaters of highly sweetened foods. The consequences are there for every one to see as the affluent society is faced with the ill effects of uncontrolled consumption of foods containing high sugar levels, supposed to give immense sensory satisfaction, in the form of rampant obesity and many health disorders like diabetes. Arrival of artificial sweeteners did provide some relief, obviating the need to use sugar by those unable to take natural sugar but their use is mired in controversy on safety issues. Latest to arrive on the scene is the so called Miracle Fruit which is reported to have the property to make sour and bitter foods appear sweet in the oral cavity, thus satisfying the craving for foods which are sweet. It is interesting to read about the "miracle" brought about by this fruit on the tongue as can be seen from the following report.

"Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), sometimes known as the Miracle Berry, is a plant native to West Africa. The berry has a mildly sweet flavor; however, the fruit is treasured not for its own taste, but for the fruit's unique effect on the taste buds. Miracle Fruit contains a glycoprotein called miraculin, which binds to the tongue's taste buds when the fruit is consumed. Miraculin acts as a sweetness inducer when it comes in contact with acids, causing bitter and sour foods to taste sweet, temporarily. This effect usually lasts between 30 minutes and 2 hours. The plant was first documented in 1725, when explorers in West Africa observed the local tribes picking the berries and chewing them before meals. Recently, the fruit has become popular in food tasting events, sometimes referred to as "Miracle Fruit Parties." Partygoers consume sour and bitter foods -- such as lemons, radishes, and beer -- to experience the dramatic change in taste. Miracle Fruit is available in three forms: The actual berries (which are usually frozen due to their high perishability), freeze-dried fruit granules, and miracle fruit tablets".

In India the Amla fruit, Indian Gooseberry, gives some what same sensation after experiencing a little bitterness initially and this has been attributed to the presence of gallic acid in the fruit which modifies the taste bud perception regarding sweetness. Though precise mechanism is not yet understood, it is presumed that the brain is misled to send message that the bitter taste is sweet to the tongue! Similarly another phytochemical gymnemic acid acts differently to decrease the sweetness perception of a product containing high sugar levels. What implications these "wrong" signal inducers in the development of new food products is not yet certain, though experts believe more elbow room is now available to design low sugar products targeted at diet moderating and diabetes people in the coming years. Miracle fruit juice concentrates, granules and pills are already in the market for consumption by the sugar shunning consumers to evoke sweetness feeling even at low levels of sugar and in presence of sour ingredients.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com